Palate Reduction


How Palate Reduction Can Help Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Do you suffer from excessive snoring and would like relief once and for all? Palate reduction may be the answer.

Sleep experts and specialists will reveal that the soft palate is the key to snoring relief. By stiffening the soft palate, reduction or coblation can reduce the vibration caused by the uvula and the soft palate and reduce snoring significantly.

Benefits of Palate Reduction

Palate reduction is a safe, effective procedure that uses radio frequency energy to form channels in the tissue of soft palate. Such a procedure triggers the body to naturally form scar tissue (hence the stiffening) over the course of six months.

Since palate reduction uses low-frequency RF energy, it typically provides results with less discomfort than laser devices and other more invasive procedures. Although this procedure isn’t a permanent remedy from snoring, it can provide a patient with years of relief before any significant snoring resurfaces.

What to Expect With Palate Reduction

Palate reduction is a relatively new technology that has enabled many surgical procedures that previously required IV sedation and even general anesthesia to now be performed under only local anesthesia without any sedation in an office-setting (instead of an operating room).

The steps of the procedure are as follows:

  1. The back of the mouth is numbed with a local anesthetic.
  2. Once the anesthetic has set in, an injection of the soft palate is performed in 3 spots using 2% lidocaine to minimize bleeding.
  3. After 10 minutes to allow adequate anesthetic effect, a coblation wand is inserted into each of the 3 spots on the soft palate for about 10 seconds.
  4. About a minute is allowed to make sure no bleeding is present and the patient is allowed to go home.
  5. A short course of antibiotics is provided along with pain killers once the anesthesia wears off. Patient is instructed to gargle with saline after every meal for about 1 week to help keep the wound area clean.

Dr. Nguyen is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and has performed this procedure countless times. If palate reduction sounds like something you may want to consider, he can certainly assist you.

Where Can Houston Residents Get Palate Reduction?

Make an appointment with Dr. Nguyen today to determine if palate reduction is right for you, and get the relief you need.   Either book an assessment or contact us, and treat your snoring issue today!